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Voldemort

I'm writing a MWPP fic, and I have Voldemort show up in one of the scenes. He's asking Lily to work for him, doing things that aren't strictly Death Eater. Here's what I have written:

“Join my followers, and you will become my right hand woman. I will make sure you receive the most respect of any witch ever deemed worthy of it. You could be very valuable to me, and I could be very valuable to you.”

“In what ways?” I asked.

“I’ll keep you alive,” he replied.

“How will I be valuable to you?”

“Well, Miss Evans, men have certain…needs, and – ”

How do you think I should change the last line to make it fit Voldemort's personality?

You have a couple of big problems here. The first is that Lily is a Muggleborn, and everyone knows it (i.e. Snape calls her Mudblood). Even assuming Voldemort was only using the pureblood prejudice to attract purebloods, he wouldn't overtly court a Muggleborn.

The second problem is... I just don't see *Voldemort* as a sexual being. That's not as big of a problem, since it's a personal feeling on the matter, but I think by the time he's made himself into Lord Voldemort, he's sort of decided to distance himself from all that. I think the only things that matter to him at that point in his "life" are immortality, power, and fear, in that order.

I think the only things that matter to him at that point in his "life" are immortality, power, and fear, in that order.

I agree that he's spent so much time trying to dehumanize himself and separating himself from anyone else that he's not very likely to like Lily in that way. Voldemort is all about trying to separate himself from being human, and having a relationship would get in the way of that. Also, is even Lily pretty enough to overcome her being a 'mudblood'? However is there another reason he would want to keep her alive? Perhaps her potions skills? If he had managed to hear about him anyway. Just a thought.

I was thinking that Voldemort is a user of people. I could possibly see him not overtly, but covertly, pursuing Lily Evans. One reason being her Potions skill. Voldemort does not have friends, does not seek out anyone for any other reason than to benefit himself or to further his plans. He would have to need her or her ability for a certain reason, especially as it's known she's a Mudblood. (As Vorona and meryal pointed out earlier.)

As to the final line of your excerpt, I don't personally think that Voldemort has needs, per say, because he had already split his soul and was on the road to becoming less human by the time of the Marauders. I can, however, see him using women erm, intimately - so to speak - *blushes* as a ways and means of humiliation, control, domination, etc. (That sounds so bad, but I don't mean the Professor rated type of humilition, etc.)
*blushes again*

Voldemort can be charming when it suits him, as Dumbledore pointed out and as we saw in the memory about Tom Riddle and Hepzibah Smith. So, I can see him Charming a woman into his er, bedchambers, but not for need fulfillment. It would be more a matter of worming his way into a woman's emotions and create a bond between the two of them in that way.

I really think a way like that might work better with a noble, brave woman like Lily. She threw herself in front of a Death Curse to protect her child. She is not one to take well to death threats and Voldemort would find out soon enough that she is not to be coerced in that manner.

On the other hand, when Dumbledore showed Harry the memory of Tom Riddle coming to his office to apply for the DADA teaching position, Tom was no longer the handsome man he once was. His facial features appeared "waxy and blurred" if I remember that right.

(I would check the Lexicon to determine his appearance during the time of the Marauders since I don't want to lead you astray here.)

So, to sum up: I believe Voldemort would need something of Lily that would force him to seek out a Mudblood and he would need to really pour on the humbleness or charm to seduce her - not to fulfill his needs, but to secretly dominate or humiliate her into staying with him.

This is a very intriguing idea of Voldemort and Lily - I hope I was able to help a little bit!

But, are you taking it into an actual romance, or Voldemort having, *hem*, feelings of lust, or is he just using her to get to someone?

If you were taking it into romance, I'm not quite sure it would work unless you made it the slowest fic of all fics. Voldemort isn't the type to fall in love with someone. At all. So, the only way to do this is to really take it slow.

The second option would be only a tiny bit more plausible. Does he really want to forgo his pride in Purebloods for Lily Evans? I'm sure if he really wanted to, er, do something, he'd have "better" ways of doing it than trying to charm her into doing said activities.

The third would be most like Voldemort and fits that excerpt. He would try to charm her, toy with her emotions, to try to get to someone she's close to (Dumbledore), or to use her abilities (Potions, etc.) as an asset. I agree with what red and gold says here:

I really think a way like that might work better with a noble, brave woman like Lily. She threw herself in front of a Death Curse to protect her child. She is not one to take well to death threats and Voldemort would find out soon enough that she is not to be coerced in that manner.

Thanks to everyone for all your help, I knew there was something off about that part, I just couldn't quite tell what. What you've all said makes sense, thank you! I've changed up the request a little bit, it's the first time Lily "defies" Voldemort, and here's how it's worded now:

“Join my followers, and you will become my right hand <i>woman</i>. I will make sure you receive the most respect of any witch ever deemed worthy of it. You could be very valuable to me, and I could be very valuable to you.”

“In what ways?” I asked as Voldemort motioned for Malfoy to let go of me.

“I’ll keep you alive,” he replied.

“How would I be valuable to you?”

“I have heard from some very reliable servants that your skill in Potions outshines any other’s. There are some potions I would like made for me, and according to said informants, you are the smartest choice to make them.”

Well, the only problem with having her work on Potions that I see is that he already has Severus. I don't see why he would need another worker. *shrugs*

However, she was supposed to be good at charms, so that might help. Perhapes he wanted her to do a charm that would help him on his way toward immortality?

Hmmm. I guess it would depend on whether Snape was already being used by Voldy during the Marauder era. Perhaps Voldy tries to convert Lily, eventually fails for some reason and then he seeks out Snape and his Potions skills in order to replace her?

I think that's a good point about Lily being good at charms - Ollivander says her wand was perfect for Charms work. And there are some good charms that can be used in a dark fashion - such as "Scourgify". Maybe Lily could teach those to the Death Eaters - broaden their repertoire a bit.

I personally see Voldy needing a really good Potions person, though, because potions are so fiddly and needing precise timing and exact amounts of ingredients. It's not something to be trusted to just anyone, I don't think, and many of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters don't strike me as the patient type who mind sitting around for several weeks keeping a close eye on the Polyjuice Potion. Hee, hee!

There is just one thing that bothers me; Voldemort was said to have been very good at school. He had the top grades in everything. I just don't see why he would need help. One more thing; I feel as if Voldemort asking for any kind of help is a bit ooc. Death Eaters don't help him, they work for him. I think its even more ooc that he asking help from a muggle-born like Lily.